Hop, Skip and a Jump
by VirtualxSimplicity
Summary: For Naruto and Hinata, finding love is only a 'hop, skip and a jump' away...and a few other things in between. [A oneshot series]


**Disclaimer for this and every single one shot that comes after: **I do no own Naruto.

I decided that this couple needs more fanfics, (that and the fact that I write too much Neji/Tenten :grins:), so these one-shots are created for the cutest couple on the show. Hehe. But Neji and Tenten still rocks.

Enjoy!

* * *

**A FLOWER EQUALS LOVE…OR NOT**

* * *

"Hinata, can you describe 'love' to me?"

Hinata fidgeted as Naruto stared intently at her with his questioning blue gaze. The question was, at the moment, possibly one of the most frequently asked questions in any girl's life and could usually be answered within a minute without hesitation informing boys, such as _him,_ about the matters of it all. A question so simply complicated that questions such as 'which direction would a tree most likely fall if no factor had any part?' and 'if a woodchuck could chuck wood, how much wood would it chuck?' would make much more sense. Which, by the way, the tree would fall in the direction where there are the thickest, and most, amount of branches and as for the woodchuck? Well now, the woodchuck would most likely chuck all the wood a woodchuck could _if_ it could chuck wood at all!

And yet, Hinata thought as she directed her attention once more towards the blond haired boy, the question at hand was not a question so trivial as a fallen tree or possibly made up animals or any other questions that could be logically answered, but an inquiry on _love_. Hinata sighed. Too bad she wasn't quite sure how to answer.

"L-love is like a f-flower, Naruto," Hinata replied faintly after a moment. Swallowing the mass of spit that had managed to clog her throat, she wiped the beads of sweat that were beginning to form on her forehead. Pale eyes twitching nervously, the Hyuuga heir exchanged between the twiddling of her thumbs and the jamming of her fingers quite painfully as she awaited his answer.

Had he bought her quickly thought of, quite frequently used, and overheard answer from Ino? Which, by the way, had gone surprisingly well, as Hinata speculated when she ducked behind a stand of various potted flowers, when Ino tried her theory on Shikamaru. But then again, Ino _was_ a florist and Shikamaru, being the lazy genius that he was, had most likely found it too troublesome to argue back if he had found a flaw.

Looking towards her with a sense of uncertainty, Naruto blinked and tilted his head. "Why?"

Flushing bright red at Naruto's counter question, Hinata jammed her two pointer fingers harder. What was with his sudden interest in the prospect of love and asking _her_ of all people? Tearing her gaze away from his bright, avid stare, Hinata turned her attention towards her full bowl of untouched noodles. _Why _were_ flowers commonly associated with love?_

Sighing softly, Hinata tilted her head in wonder. Flowers began by the planting of a seed. Roots grew out of the seed when placed in nice, fertilized soil exposed to some sort of sunlight or growth light. A stem eventually made its' way towards air and sunlight radiation and leaves soon after to help the process of photosynthesis. A small bud usually followed and would eventually bloom into something beautiful.

But in the sense of the _connection_ between a simple flower and love, she did not know. Was it because they were both considered delicate and beautiful? Could it be because both could be easily broken if not handled well? Or was it simply a feminists answer?

The two needed certain nourishing in order to live, Hinata thought as she nodded her head slightly. There was also the fact that they both needed time to develop. Certain things are vital in growing a flower as there are in creating a special relationship. Such as love…

Hinata tilted her head slightly. Yes, just like love.

For the flower, a seed must be present. For love, a certain attraction must be had. A firm foundation in developing from friends to 'lovers' is also needed for the base as the soiled dirt to encase the seed. In watering the seed to create a beginning, so must there be a mutual understanding and interests. Sunlight is also important for the growing of the early bud as emotions are for the premature friendship.

Hinata shook her head. Although it sounded so simple, the idea of love couldn't possibly be compared to a flower, right? Love had doubts, difficulties and trials. Flowers, on the other hand, had…thorns.

She doubted they were truly considered a hardship in its' struggle to live.

Pale, lavender eyes met with energetic blue ones. "I-I honestly don't know," Hinata murmured, "perhaps because b-both could be analogically c-compared to the other." Watching his reaction, Hinata smiled timidly as Naruto's brow flattened in consideration.

"But Hinata," Naruto said as he frowned, "flowers die."

Hinata blinked as she countered lamely, "O-oh." Inwardly wanting to slam her head onto the counter, she outwardly flushed as she kept her gaze on her now soggy noodles. Clenching her fists tightly around the hem of her jacket, her head bowed in a nervous manner, Hinata waited.

For what, she was not quite sure. His disappointment? His confusion? Lifting her dark-haired framed face to hesitantly meet his, she blanched. Naruto had turned back to his ramen.

Hinata frowned slightly as she discreetly watched Naruto shovel noodles and pieces of beef into his mouth. Eyes downed and head bowed, Hinata sighed softly. Perhaps she was too boring for him to even keep a decent conversation going! And of all things, the subject was of love. Love! One of the broadest subjects ever known to mankind! Wallowing in her inward self-pity, Hinata nearly fell off her stool in surprise as Naruto placed his bowl of finished ramen with a loud 'clunk'.

Swallowing the last of his soup with a content sigh, Naruto quoted, "Love is a four letter word." And rather ungracefully wiping his face of dripping ramen liquid, he grinned his broad smile. Turning his attention towards the blushing Hyuuga heir once again, Naruto grinned wider as the blush on her face became considerably darker. Head lowered and fingers twiddling in their usual rhythmic pattern, she was the epitome of embarrassment.

U-um," Hinata began to stutter, then faded. Not quite knowing what he was trying to say, Hinata nodded slightly in agreement at Naruto's expectant gaze. "Y-yes, Naruto." Panicking slightly at the thought of the saying to have some sort of hidden, philosophical meaning that she was not able figure out, Hinata awaited for Naruto to continue in, to her, a seemingly casual manner.

Naruto scratched his head in a thoughtful manner. "And a word is only a word unless there is a meaning behind it."

Nodding her head once again in agreement, Hinata scrunched her nose slightly. "I-I guess…"

"So when you say 'love'," Naruto continued slowly, "then what do you mean?" Head tilted forward like a rather intimate moment of exchanging secrets between friends, strands of loose golden strands lazily framed his forehead. His body was twisted slightly towards her direction, his eyes trained fixedly on her pale ones.

Hinata swallowed at Naruto's new intimacy he was showing. "U-um…I, uh…no…" Words forming in incoherent sentences partly because of his straightforward question, Hinata flushed and glanced sideways at the other reason. He was _too _close…especially for _her _comfort.

With his face only two feet away, which was _very_ close, the space between seemed to be only shortened as the seconds passed by. Hinata felt like fainting.

"Well, like for example," Naruto began as she didn't answer, his eyes turned towards his empty ramen bowl longingly, "I love ramen."

Hinata nodded faintly, slowly shifting away from the blond haired boy in an attempted inconspicuous manner. He didn't seem to notice.

"_But_," Naruto emphasized as he continued, "I think that the word _love _is used differently with different meanings or suggestions."

She nodded again, a loud 'thumping' resounding throughout her chest traveling towards her brain. "R-right."

"So what would be the difference between using it between ramen and…a person?" Face scrunched in a thinking manner, Hinata stifled a slight giggle. He seemed so lost.

Although she did not know much about the matters of love and such from experience, she could only really guess what he is trying to suggest she explain. _Should_ she know what love was? She was, in fact, a girl and hopefully _he_ noticed, but if this was going to lead to an explanation of what the feelings that 'love' particularly entails, then she really, girl or not, had no clue what she was talking about. Hinata sighed softly as she tilted her head, her bangs covering her pale orbs.

"Well, N-Naruto," she started slowly, watching as he turned his attention directly at her, "I th-think it means that you c-care for them a lot." Hinata gulped. "A-and, um, you want to spend t-time with them and, w-well, protect them."

Naruto nodded, his blue eyes wide as he listened intently on the words being spoken.

"Oh, um, a-and you wish for their w-well being above your own," the Hyuuga heir squeaked as she finished. Casting her glance elsewhere, she viciously began poking her pointers together. "And I-I really don't think you could c-categorize love or e-explain it," she added softly.

The whiskered boy gave a 'humm' as he scratched his scalp, seemingly satisfied. "Ah, I see," Naruto said excited, his voice raspy, "I get it."

Hinata gave a slight smile at his enthusiasm.

"Thanks Hinata," he continued, "that was really easy! This 'love' thing that Sakura and Ino always talks about is so simple!" Naruto beamed at his newfound information on 'the facts about life' as he jumped off his stool eagerly.

She flushed at his appraisal. "I-I'm glad to have been of a-assistance, Naruto." Watching as the excited blond began walking away, she gave a small frown. Perhaps…he wanted to know so he could say it to someone? Hesitant to question Naruto where he was going, curiosity eventually got the best of her.

"N-Naruto!" she called, before he could get to far. Seeing him turn back towards her quizzically, she paused and flushed. "U-um, wha--"

"Oh, right," he interrupted, "I forgot to pay." Tossing a couple of bills on the counter, he flashed her a smile, "And I paid for yours too."

Watching as he turned his back once more towards her, possibly going to express his feelings for someone, Hinata's fists clenched nervously. "No, Naruto," she said, hoping he would hear her. Once again he faced Hinata, a questioning look on his face. "Um," Hinata said quickly, "who…who are you…I-I mean, what I meant to s-say is, well, are you going to t-tell someone you love them?"

Naruto paused for a moment and shrugged. "Yeah."

Hinata blushed in embarrassment. "Oh…"

"Well," he continued nonchalant, "I was going to go say it to Iruka Sensei."

Eyes widening, Hinata could only stutter out a "wh-what!"

Naruto shrugged again, giving Hinata a doubtful look. "Is that bad?"

"W-why?" Hinata asked, her pale eyes noticeably wide. The thought of Naruto being…interested at all in an older _guy_? There is no way! Not if she could help it…

"Well," Naruto started, his head slightly tilting, "he helped me in becoming a ninja, we always spend time together cuz' he buys me ramen and stuff, and I protected him that one time to finally pass my test to become a gennin!" Beaming, he gave the quivering Hinata girl an inquisitive glance. "That's what loving someone is, right?"

_Oh._ "Y-you are right, Naruto," Hinata murmured flushing, "love c-comes in many forms." At the thought of her having a completely different type of love than he was thinking, she kept her gaze on her soggy soba in inward embarrassment. But, she silently contemplated, that _is_ what love is…for any type of love you could think of, really. Although the type of 'love' that Hinata was trying to explain to Naruto had obviously been taken for a different love, she could only smile at his innocence and total obliviousness.

"Umhm," he mumbled, seemingly distracted, "guess I'll see you later!"

Nodding mutely, happy at the fact that Naruto showed no particular interest in older guys, Hinata could only watch as he turned for the final time to leave.

"Oh," Naruto called back, his elbow tilted at an angle behind his head as he glanced back, "I guess I love you too, Hinata." Then with that last comment, he walked amongst the busy afternoon crowd disappearing slowly from her unwavering sight. Slowly, Hinata turned back towards the Ichiraku counter facing her still untouched noodles, eyes wide. Slightly dazed at the surprising, but not necessarily unpleasant, unforeseen events, she almost tripped over a stool as she attempted to leave the ramen shop to head to training. Hinata sighed happily.

Though the love he meant was most likely friendship, she couldn't help the smile that stayed plastered on her face as she walked through the busy Konoha road. Tripping over Akamaru as she reached her training area, Hinata fell face forward into the dusty ground before anyone could shout a warning. Sitting up, still dazed, both of her teammates watched as the Hyuuga heir sat listlessly on the ground obviously unaware of the mud and grass stuck in her hair. She was still grinning.

But really, what did she know? She was only fourteen after all.

* * *

**VxS**

Not to be a bother, but if you read this and like it in the least, please comment! It feels so discouraging when you get like, 300+ looks and only 10 reviews. Please? I would really like to know whether or not you like what I'm writing, and thanks to all of those faithful reviewers that do!


End file.
